A Carob Tree and a Spring

Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Jose, and Rabbi Shimeon were sitting, and Judah, a son of
proselytes, was sitting near them.

Rabbi Judah commenced the discussion by observing, "How fine are the works of
this people [the Romans]! They have made streets, they have built bridges, they
have erected baths."

Rabbi Jose was silent.

Rabbi Shimeon bar Yohai responded: "All that they made, they made for their
own benefit. They built market-places, to set harlots in them; baths, to
rejuvenate themselves; bridges, to levy tolls for them."

Judah the son of proselytes went and related their talk, which reached the
government. They decreed: "Judah, who exalted us, shall be exalted, Jose, who
was silent, shall be exiled to Sepphoris; Shimeon, who censured, shall be
executed."

Rabbi Shimon and his son went and hid themselves in the study hall, and his
wife brought him bread and a mug of water and they dined. When the decree became
more severe... they went and hid in a cave.

A miracle occurred and a carob-tree and a wellspring of water were created
for them. They would remove their garments and sit up to their necks in sand.
The whole day they studied; when it was time for prayers they robed, covered
themselves, prayed, and then put off their garments again, so that they should
not wear out. Thus they dwelt twelve years in the cave.

Then Elijah the Prophet came and stood at the entrance to the cave and
exclaimed: "Who will inform the son of Yochai that the emperor is dead and his
decree annulled?" So they emerged.

Seeing a man ploughing and sowing, they exclaimed: "They forsake eternal life
and engage in temporal life!" Whatever they cast their eyes upon was immediately
incinerated.

A heavenly echo came forth and announced: "Have you emerged to destroy My
world? Return to your cave!"

So they returned and lived there another twelve months, saying, "The
punishment of the wicked in Gehenna is limited to twelve months." A heavenly
echo then came forth and said, "Go forth from your cave!"

Now wherever Rabbi Eleazar harmed [with his look], Rabbi Shimeon healed. Said Rabbi Shimeon to his son, "My son! You and I are sufficient for the world."

On the eve of the Sabbath before sunset they saw an old man holding two
bundles of myrtle and running at twilight. "What are these for?" they asked him.
"They are in honour of the Sabbath," he replied. "But one should suffice you?"
they asked. "One is for 'Remember [the Shabbat day' (Exodus 20:8)] and one is
for 'Keep [the Shabbat day' (Deuteronomy 5:12)]."

Said Rabbi Shimeon to his son: "See how precious are the mitzvot to people of
Israel." Thereupon their minds were put at ease.

I struggle but think I might have an idea what this means."They forsake eternal life and engage in temporal life! This is what rabbi shimeon said that got him put in a cave. he was punished again and put back in a cave when he put down some folks for plowing and soughing instead of "studying". Rabbi shimeon was being rebuked for assuming we should only focus on study but ignore the physical world we live in. in the end rather than seeing the man carrying two bundles of myth as a problem, they could now understand that he was doing this for a reason and could not understand that temporal (worldly affairs) are necessary to connect to G-d. Of course they must be in balance and not lead towards idol worship of materialism, but all in balance.
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AnnaScotlandDecember 31, 2015

Very Spiritual drawing..I could get lost in this one trying to figure it all out so will make it my mission..
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SteveDecember 27, 2015

This story seems disjointed and baffling. Nevertheless I will offer and explanation (as I suppose the story invites me to do). The three rabbis exemplify three attitudes toward the Romans: respect, neutrality, and bitter opposition. (Rabbi Judah in fact knew Greek and was an intermediary between Jews and Romans). The informer's identity, I suppose, denotes a mistrust of proselytes. The subsequent isolation of Shimion and his son seem to symbolize increasing devotion to study, and their nakedness symbolizes closeness tothe sacred text. But their horror at seeing a man plowing and sowing goes to far, and they are rebuked for forsaking the world altogether. I hope someone will post a better and fuller explanation!
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The Cave Sketch
This looks like the womb of G-d but I am still trying to work it out. I see the little Torah(I think) drawing with an arrow therefore Torah is The Word and hence G-d. It's a wonderful piece of art too. Having a distinct meaning is more important though so will have another think!
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AnonymousmesaMay 11, 2012

Carob Tree And A Spring
And as Rabbi Shimeon said: "All lthat they made, they made for their own benefit. They built market-places, to set harlots in them; baths, to rejuvenate themselves; bridges, to levy tolls for them." And I add: 'They also made a crown of thorn for Yisrael, and for 2,000 years we have been bleeding from that crown.' Until Mashiach comes, all will be revealed. Blessed be Hashem.
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June GreenLynnville, TNMay 1, 2010

Poverty vs. Prosperity
They went into the cave poor; they exited the cave with such abundance that they had to share and to spare. Sometimes "the riches of the poor are greater than the poverty of the rich."
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AnonymousWaterbury, CAvia chabadnw.orgApril 30, 2010

in response to HUH?
this is the raw text of the story, translated into not so easy english. If you read the other articles and posts about Lag BaOmer, you'll see how the Jewish people celebrate the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the father in the story, because he brought the hidden parts of the Torah (the Zohar, the Kabbalah) down to earth - through study - during his stay in the cave with his son. He insisted that his yartzeit be a day of celebration, so Lag BaOmer became even more joyful and special, not just the day that Rabbi Akiva's students stopped dying. Hope this helps a bit.
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Anonymousok/usFebruary 13, 2010

Happy
Happy to find this site. I was just eating some bread and taking a few drinks from a jug of water. Why 12 months in hell?
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